Wrench.



No. 759,260. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. P. W. FREY.

WRENCH.

7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

@ff/W Vf/Wffd H/4 m!!! 2e & r a Dl\. H {w m g U Q W m ---NEQEEEEEE 8 6 /J 1 No. 759,260. Patented May 10, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WV. FREY, OF BOSTON, M ASSAOHUSFIJYFS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS SHEPARD AND GEORGE FREY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,260, dated May 10, 1904:.

Application filed September 17, 1903. Serial No. 178,505. ode -l ll/71111111 1315 y (WWWYLI to move the outer jaw 0 toward and from the Be it known thatl, FREDERICK \V. Fear, of inner jaw (Z. The jawscand (l are hereshown 5 0 Boston, in the county of Suliolk and State of provided with semicircular grasping-faces Massachusetts, have invented certain new and to conform to the periphery of a pipe; but it 5 useful Improvements in Wrenches, &c., of is obvious that the gras 'iing-laces of the jaws which the following is a specification. may be of any other suitable or desired form.

This invention relates chiefly to wrenches, The preferred means for adjusting the shank 55 and especially to pipe-wrenches intended to or holder comprise an zuljusting-slide c, act on polished or nickelcd pipe or tubing. which is movable lengthwise in a suitable The invention may, however, be embodied in guide f, fixed to the stock a, and is also adaptwrenches of other types, and certain features ed to swing laterally in said guideto separate of the invention may be embodied in other a hook or engaging member (1' at its outer 6o mechanical devices, such as lifting-jacks, &c. portion froma corresponding recess I), formed The invention has for its object, first, to forits reception in the shank orholder l). The

I 5 provide means for applying hand-power to a inner end portion of the zuljustin rslide vis cymovable member, such as a wrench-jaw or lindrical and provided with a screw-thread. the equivalent part of a lifting-jack in such \Vith the screw-threzul is engaged an adjust- 5 manner as to utilizethe power:ulvantageously ing-nut which is held yieldingly against in ormrating said movable member, so that the guidef by a spril'ig lt, interposedbetween when the invention is embodied in a wrench the guide and a shoulder c" on the slide w.

the said jaw will be caused to exert all the The spring 7t serves two purposesnamely, pressure required to prevent the two jaws to exert endwise pressure on the adjusting- 70 from slipping on the work when turning in slide in the direction required to hold the nut one direction, the jaws being caused to autor against the guide f, and, secondly, to rematically release their hold on the work when store the slide c to its position of engagement turning in the opposite direction. with the holder 7) after the slide has been The invention also has for its object to protipped or swung away from said holder. It 75 vide improved means for adjusting the jaws will be seen that the rotation of the nut 7' will of a pipe or other wrench. cause an endwise movement of the adjusting- The invention consists in the improvements slide a in one direction or the other, the nut which 1 will now proceed to describe and being held by the spring it against the guide claim. f. The described provision for swinging the 80 Of the accompanying drawings,forming a adjusting-slide quickly into and out of enpart of this specification,Figure1 represents gagement with the shank or holder 6 enables 3 5 a side elevation of a pipe-wrench embodying said shank or holder to be quickly engaged my invention. Fig. Qrepresentsan edge view with and disengaged from the adjusting-slide, of the same. Fig. 3 represents a section on the holder when disengaged from the slide 5 line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4: and 5 represent being adapted to be moved quickly endwise modifications. to any desired extent and removed from the 40 The same reference characters indicate the stock if desired. When the holder 7) is onsame parts in all the figures. gag-ed with the adjusting-slide, it partakes of Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, (t represents the movement imparted to the slide by the ro- 9 the stock or body of a pipe-wrench, the same tation of the adjusting-nut g. being provided in this embodiment of my in- The jaw (Z is loosely connected with or vention with a suitable guide for a sliding mounted in the stock a in such manner that it shank or holder Z), the latter being provided is free to have a limited independent movcwith an adjustable outer jaw 0. Means are ment toward and from the jaw c independprovided for adjusting the shank or holder 6 ently of the latter and of the adjusting means,

the object of this independent movement being to' cause the jaw (Z to exert a clamping pressure on the work when the stock is being swung in one direction and to release the work when the stock is being swung in the opposite direction. I have provided means whereby pressure exerted on the handle 01 when the wrench is swung in one direction causes the jaw (Z to exert clamping pressure on the work, pressure exerted in the opposite direction on the handle causing the said pressure to be removed from the work. The handle 2 is pivoted at 71 to the stock a and is formed as a two-armed lever, having a shorter arm 21 within the stock.

represents a lever pivoted at 7" to the stock and having a shorter arm j formed as a cam, which bears on the under side of the loose jaw (Z and a longer arm f.

k represents an intermediate lever pivoted at between the levers 2' and j, the lever 1Z1: having a shorter arm k engaged with the longer arm f of the lever 7', and a longer arm is, engaged with the shorter arm of the lever 2', all as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The levers 2T, /1:, and j are therefore compounded, their arrangement being such that when pressure is exerted on the handle-lever z' in the direction'of the arrow in Fig. l the cam y' will be caused to exert a powerful outward pressure on the jaw (Z, causing the latter to firmly grasp a piece of tubular work inserted between the jaws, the work being grasped so firmly that it is practically impossible for the jaws to slip upon it and mar its surface. When pressure is exerted in the opposite direction upon the handle t', the cam 7' releases the jaw (Z, and the jaws are free to slip backwardly upon the work.

The described provision For automatically exerting clamping pressure upon one of the jaws of the pipe-wrench enables the graspingfaces of said jaws to be provided with smoothlypolished surfaces, which cannot mar or deface polished or nickeled pipes. The jaws are preferably detachably secured, so that they can be removed and other jaws of different sizes substituted for them. As here shown, the jaw c is secured by a screw 0 to the holder 6, the jaw (Z being provided with a flanged projection d, which is movable lengthwise in a corresponding groove (0, formed for its reception in the stock a, the depth of the groove (0 being sufiicient to permit the described movements of the jaw (Z toward and from the jaw c.

The above-described invention has been successfully applied by me to pipe-wrenches; but 1 do not limit myself to such appliances, it being obvious that the advantage of the loose jaw, a lever having a shorter arm engaged with said jaw, and means for moving said lever to apply a clamping pressure to the loose jaw will apply to various other kinds of wrenches. It is'also obvious that a system of levers compounded as above described, one of said levers constituting a handle to be operated by hand-power, may be utilized in an appliance such as a lifting-jack, the inner lever having the cam being arranged to act directly upon the weight to be raised or upon a plate or membertl in contact with said weight, as shown in Fig. 5. In said figure I have shown two intermediate levers interposed between the leverj, having the cam ,7' for its shorter arm and the lever t' constituting the operating-handle.

In Fig. 4c 1 show a modification in which the lever i acts directly upon the lever 7', there being no intermediate lever.

1 claim 1. A wrench comprising a head, graspingjaws supported thereby, one of the jaws being loose, a lever pivoted to the head and having a shorter arm and a longer arm, the former supporting the loose jaw, and means for applying pressure to the longer arm of said lever to exert a clamping pressure on the loose jaw.

2. A wrench comprising a head. graspingjaws supported thereby, one of the jaws being loose, and a series of compounded levers pivoted to the head, one of said levers supporting the loose jaw, while another is arranged to serve as the handle of the wrench.

3. A wrench comprising a head, graspingjaws supported thereby, one of the jaws being loose, a jaw-supporting lever pivoted to the head and having a cam forming the shorter arm of the lever, a handle pivoted to the head and having arms of unequal length, and an intermediate lever pivoted to the head and having a longer arm engaging the shorter arm of the handle, and a shorter arm engaging the longer arm of the cam-lever.

4. A wrench comprising a head,'an inner jaw, an adjustable outer jaw havinga slidable shank or holder, an adjusting-slide separably engaged with said holder and adapted to swing laterally to separate it from the holder, an adjusting-nut engaged with a screw-threaded portion of said slide, and a spring which normally holds the slide in engagement with the jaw-holder and also holds the adjusting-nut against an abutment on the head.

5. The combination of a head or body, an adjustable member thereon, and a series of compounded levers pivoted to the head, one of said levers having its shorter arm formed as a care which engages the adjustable member, while another lever is formed as an operating-handle.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK W. FREY.

WVitnesses:

R. M. PIERSON, THOMAS SHEPARD. 

